"Is that what you had in mind all along?" Anko seemed to realize belatedly.
"I'm sorry." Feeling like he had caused trouble for others, Jūgo immediately lowered his head and apologized.
"It's alright. My purpose in going there was to find you," Orochimaru responded honestly.
"To find me?" Jūgo lifted his head, confused. He couldn't understand why someone would come looking for a person like him, who only brought bad luck and trouble.
"I need your help, Jūgo." Orochimaru walked up to him, crouching down to meet his gaze. His golden eyes reflected Jūgo's face, filled with greed and excitement.
"Me?" Jūgo pointed at himself, bewildered. He wasn't bothered by the greed and excitement in Orochimaru's eyes.
He had seen too many looks of hatred and hostility directed at him. Jūgo was always keenly aware of people's emotions toward him. While Orochimaru didn't seem particularly friendly, Jūgo didn't sense any malice and wasn't concerned.
What puzzled him was why someone would actually seek him out and need him.
"Your body is a treasure, Jūgo. Let me study it. I'm sure you'll surprise me greatly," Orochimaru said bluntly, revealing his intentions.
Orochimaru didn't mind deceiving people, but when it wasn't necessary, he was brutally honest.
For instance, when he encountered those three children who brought them flowers in the Land of Rain, he had coldly told Jiraiya that the best way to help them was to kill them and end their suffering.
He genuinely believed that in the war-torn environment of the Land of Rain, those children wouldn't survive, even if they had some small tricks up their sleeves.
For children living in such a place, the kindest thing would be to end their hellish lives sooner rather than later. He didn't consider this idea to be cold-blooded.
What he didn't expect was Jiraiya's decision to stay and take care of those children until they were strong enough to protect themselves.
"Huh? Sensei, are you going to use him for experiments?" Anko instinctively looked at Orochimaru, then glanced at Kagetsu, who seemed to already be in sync with Orochimaru. Feeling left out once again, Anko puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
"I'm willing," Jugo raised his hand. "As long as you can stop me from killing again, and prevent me from losing control, I'm happy to cooperate."
"Don't worry," Nara Kagetsu added. "We might even find a way to stabilize your emotions."
"Really?" Jugo's eyes lit up at Kagetsu's words, his face full of excitement and hope.
"As long as we have enough data on your body, we can give it a try. The reason you lose control is that you can't handle the massive natural energy inside you. But if you can learn to control it, you can stop yourself from going wild," Kagetsu yawned and rubbed his eyes as he comforted him.
Orochimaru glanced at Kagetsu but didn't say anything.
Honestly, Orochimaru didn't care whether Jugo could control himself or not. He was a practical person. As long as Jugo cooperated and allowed him to study him, that was enough.
All the small details were just extra costs. Orochimaru was too cold and detached to waste time or effort worrying about one test subject.
Even if Jugo was important, if it wasn't necessary, Orochimaru wouldn't bother with his mental state or try to help him solve his problems.
Jugo's mood lightened a bit, and he seemed more energetic. Although he didn't fully trust Kagetsu's promise, the fact that he gave him hope was something worth looking forward to.
After all, even without that promise, he would still cooperate with them, right?
Three days passed on their journey.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from deep within the forest.
"I'll kill you all!" A transformed Jugo swung a powerful punch towards Anko.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands! Googlᴇ search Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Anko dodged in a flash, and at the same time, a snake slithered out from her sleeve, baring its fangs as it lunged toward Jugo.
Just as Jugo was about to swing his arm and knock the snake away, his body suddenly froze. His raised arm stopped mid-air, and his yellow eyes scanned the area, landing on Kagetsu, who was hiding behind Anko, blocking Jugo's view.
Shadow Imitation Jutsu.
Kagetsu maintained the hand seal, but Jugo's wild natural energy was resisting, making it hard to hold the Shadow Imitation Technique. It looked like Jugo could break free and regain control of his body at any moment.
But Kagetsu didn't need to hold him for long. In the next instant, the snake Anko had summoned bit down on Jugo's neck.
Jugo's hardened skin couldn't stop the snake's fangs, and once the poison entered his system, his strength began to fade rapidly.
The snake connecting Jugo and Anko vanished in a cloud of smoke, and Kagetsu released the Shadow Imitation Jutsu.
But Jugo still didn't move, standing as still as a statue.
"Wow, your neurotoxin actually worked!" Anko sighed in relief, seeing that Jugo had lost the ability to move.
Orochimaru had turned Jugo's frequent rampages into a training exercise for them. He required them to find a different way to subdue Jugo every time he lost control before they reached their destination. This was to improve their combat skills and teamwork.
To be honest, if it weren't for her mastery of the Blood Mode, Anko didn't think she would last long against a rampaging Jugo.
Although Jūgo didn't know any ninjutsu and relied purely on brute strength in battle, his fighting style was sharp and wild. With the help of natural energy, his body could shift into different forms to resist attacks from the two of them.
Last time, she had managed to hold Jūgo off for quite a while, and at the last moment, with Kagetsu's help, used the Shadow Imitation Technique to take control of him. This time, things went a bit more smoothly, as they used a neurotoxin that Kagetsu had developed by using a type of snake from Ryūchi Cave.
Just a tiny amount of it was enough to incapacitate a large wild boar. Without immediate treatment, the victim would die from suffocation.
"Will he be okay?" Anko, worried after seeing how strong the toxin was, looked at Jūgo with concern.
"Based on the data from last time, the dosage I used won't harm him. Right now, the natural energy in his body is fighting with the neurotoxin for control over his nervous system. By the time the toxin is mostly cleared, the excess natural energy in his body should also be almost completely gone," Kagetsu said after observing for a while and using medical ninjutsu to check Jūgo's condition.
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